Friday, April 8, 2011

Is a Shadow always Black?

"Are shadows always black?" a child asks.

A shadow is caused by an object blocking light so naturally it would appear to be black but

translucent objects create colorful shadows! The materials provided in this experience helped this group of children answer their own question. Before they were given the translucent objects they used opaque items which did in fact cast black shadows.

7 comments:

When I saw the post heading, I said, well yes, they are always black. Oh, but children ask some of the best questions and open our eyes to other possibilities. Never dismiss their questions---or their answers. Thanks for the post.

This is an awesome question from the child!! And the teacher also help them to found out a good way to get this great answer. Otherwise, I also learn that shadows can have color after i read this post(I always think they are only black before). Thank you!!

Rather than answering the child’s question with mere words, this was a wonderful experiment used to allow the children to create their own answers to their own questions. It’s wonderful to see that with some guidance, children learn best by testing their own theories. It’s also great to see that the through the exploration of an answer, a fun way to learn something new is also offered.

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Welcome to the Classrooms of Reggio Kids

This blog is a tribute to the students of Reggio Kids who in conjunction with their teachers give new meaning to preschool education. Each day we are challenged to provide the children with a rich pedagogy that recognizes them as contributors to the educational process!